


Car rides and traffic lights

by itotoro



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Freeform, conversation driven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 10:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22570468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itotoro/pseuds/itotoro
Summary: The line that divides dreams and reality blurs in twilight.
Relationships: Im Nayeon/Yoo Jeongyeon
Kudos: 17





	Car rides and traffic lights

**Author's Note:**

> This came to mind during my soft hours and after reading Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
> 
> Comments and criticisms are welcome! Find me at @FanAspiring on twitter

It was a long day at work today.

Jeongyeon looks out the window of Nayeon's Suzuki Swift, the car crawling through the city traffic. 

"I like working under my boss" Nayeon's two hands grip the steering wheel. Her eyes focus on the plate number of the car up in front of her.

"Yeah?" Jeongyeon inquires.

"He's better than the other bosses. There was a meeting today where he got in an argument with one of my officemates today, and my officemate talked to me about it. She told me that she didn't like how he talked to her."

"Yeah?" Jeongyeon looks out the window, at the sky. Lilac becomes sleepy indigo, soft clouds blocking the stars in the sky.

"So I told my boss about it, I told him that the officemate didn't see eye to eye with how he went about explaining things to her. And he went to her cubicle and apologized." 

Nayeon's foot is gentle on the gas, the car moving forward. There is silence as she drives, much like how the indigo falls on the city outside the car.

"Can I play music?"

"Sure."

Jeongyeon browses through the music library of Nayeon's phone. "You don't have Davichi?"

"Try looking for it on the itunes library."

"You don't have the premium account. I can't play songs not on the premium account. Why not download spotify?"

"I don't want spotify." The Swift climbs onto the highway that curves left.

"Can I play music on my phone?"

"Sure."

Jeongyeon opens her Spotify app, browsing until she finds her favorite song. "I would introduce you to EXO but I know they're not your type. So Davichi it is."

Two Lovers plays on the speaker of Jeongyeon's phone. She increases the volume by three notches, then brings it down by two. It matches the mood of the landscape.

"Stop the music first." Nayeon dictates, both hands on the steering wheel as she descends the highway. Jeongyeon stops the song and locks her phone.

They enter a familiar avenue. Looming on Jeongyeon's right is their alma mater, a campus shaded by numerous trees.

"I'm really annoyed at the procurement department. They're just so inefficient. Sana's already sent them three emails."

"That again?" Jeongyeon watches as they pass by the university. The stoplight in front of campus switches to red. "You should just go to them in person."

Nayeon brings the car to a stop, a stretch of cars away from the campus stoplight. "I already sent them an email and two missed calls. Sana sent three emails. Now our project's delayed."

"Like I said, go to them in person." There are ninety nine seconds on the stoplight. The electronic billboard displays advertisements on the latest gallery of the campus museum.

A hand pats the top of Jeongyeon's head, hesitantly brushing away stray strands of hair. Nayeon only has one hand on the steering wheel, like old times.

Jeongyeon guides Nayeon's hand to rest on her cheek, closing her own eyes. Remembering things.

Nayeon pulls her hand away as the stoplight goes to green. The swift lurches, then glides before stopping in front of the campus stoplight.

"If I close my eyes, it brings me back to college." Jeongyeon tucks her left hand underneath her thigh, the cold air in the car getting to her.

"Do you miss it?"

Jeongyeon closes her eyes, reminiscing the many car rides they shared while in university. How they spent traffic lights holding hands, holding each other.

"Yeah." 

Nayeon reaches for Jeongyeon's hand, threading their fingers. "Is this okay?" 

"Yeah." Jeongyeon's throat closes up. "It's okay. What happened before, it had to happen. We both decided on that."

"Even if we argue more now?" Nayeon's question lingers like a bitter taste on the tongue. 

Why did it have to end? Did it ever even begin?

"I miss the campus." Jeongyeon stares out the window, reading from the electronic billboard.

"Me too." Nayeon guides Jeongyeon's hand, resting their interlaced fingers on her lap. "I miss walking around campus."

"I want to visit again, even just the galleries like before."

"I just miss walking around campus."

"Really? You don't miss the campus?"

"What do you miss about the campus?"

"I miss the trees, the brick roads, the view, the galleries"

"We have that at our office." The stoplight turns green, Nayeon's hands returning to the steering wheel. Her foot is soft on the gas pedal, the car humming to life once more. "We're lucky that our office has space to walk around."

"Not the galleries though, they only have that here." Jeongyeon returns her hand to the space underneath her thigh. "And there aren't as many trees."

"Our office does have a museum!" Nayeon retorts with a smile on her face.

"No, I mean galleries that don't feature itself." Jeongyeon says back.

They share a laugh. 

Nayeon drops Jeongyeon off at the nearby footbridge, parking the car beside the sidewalk. Jeongyeon greets her before closing the door. 

The Swift, once more, joins the stream of cars that pressed on towards their destinations.

The indigo sky is now a deep blue, an almost black that threatens to pull Jeongyeon in. There are no stars in sight, only the constellation of headlamps that knew where they were going.

It was about time that Jeongyeon headed home.

**Author's Note:**

> There is definitely a lot of reading-between-the-lines going on here. Let your mind wander, you are as much an author of this story as I am.
> 
> Let me know what you think.


End file.
